


Baseless Invitation

by Pinx_B



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romance, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 10:54:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23850031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinx_B/pseuds/Pinx_B
Summary: A seemingly innocuous meet up to discuss all things bass related from Lisa has Rimi perplexed..
Relationships: Hanazono Tae/Yamabuki Saaya, Ichigaya Arisa/Toyama Kasumi, Imai Lisa/Ushigome Rimi
Kudos: 33





	Baseless Invitation

* * *

Rimi was immersed in comparing the bass strings in her hands to a point where she hadn't realised a familiar presence notice her.

The brunette in question contemplated whether she should or should not surprise the girl but the focus on Rimi's expression was adorable and she couldn't help herself.

Slowly, Lisa walked towards Rimi who had still not realised that she wasn't alone in the store, and tapped her on the shoulder.

Rimi let out a small squeak as both of the bass strings in her grasp went up in the air and she scrambled to catch them but Lisa was way ahead of her, saving the items from landing on the floor.

"L-Lisa-san?!". 

The bassist grinned as Rimi turned to see her, face a blaze with a mischievous glow, "Hey, Rimi! Sorry, I didn't realise you were in your own world".

She most definitely did, but Rimi didn't need to know that.

The girl took the strings when Lisa handed them back to her, "That's okay" she replied whilst taking in the bassist, "Sometimes I get a bit carried away when buying new equipment".

"Oh I can totally understand that. Do you know which one you want?".

Rimi had forgotten about the strings and tried to stammer out a response which made the brunette chuckle, "Well, I, I have always used these" she motioned to the set in her right hand, "But apparently these are meant to even better".

"Hm, I have those if you wanna give them a try? You can buy your usual in case you don't like the feel of the other brand?".

"Really? Is that okay?".

Lisa smiled brightly, "Of course! It's better to get a feel of them, you know?" she insisted, "Besides, it would be fun to discuss this stuff with a fellow bassist!".

"I'm not really that knowledgeable about it.." Rimi trailed off shyly and glanced away, "M-maybe talking with Himari-chan would be better?".

Being aware of Rimi's lack of confidence, Lisa shook her head and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, "Nope, _that_ won't do. You should give yourself some more credit, Rimi. You're amazing!".

The compliment made the bassist blush further as she clutched the strings to her chest, the feeling of Lisa's hand on her shoulder amplifying her shyness. She couldn't help but to believe her words because her expression was so open, so honest that Rimi wasn't sure how to react.

She gulped down whatever portion of nerves she could, mirroring Lisa's smile, "Thank you, Lisa-san, and for helping with the strings".

"My pleasure" Lisa grinned and removed her hand, "How about we meet up after school tomorrow, are you free or do you have practice?".

"We do have practice but we can meet a bit later, if that's okay?".

"Sure! Why don't you come round to mine?".

Rimi’s brain had ended up in a short-circuit at the request, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to figure out what words were and how to use them.

She could do this, she had grown as a person and was far more confident than before.

All she had to do was say yes.

" _Yes, I'd love to join you. In your house. Alone_ ". 

Perfectly innocent. 

Almost as innocuous as slipping just a drop of poison in one's cup, with the intent of making them stay with you forever in a land for the deceased. 

The bassist grimaced, wondering if last night's horror film binge wasn't the wisest of ideas. 

"Rimi? You okay?" Lisa asked, a flicker of worry on her features when the girl hadn't responded, "Was that a little foreword? We can meet elsewh-".

"No no!" Rimi quickly stated whilst waving her hands in front of her, "I'm sorry. I just..I mean your place would be great".

Unbeknownst to Poppin'Party's bassist, her frantic and adorable mannerisms were making Lisa want to tease her more despite her solicitude for the demure girl. 

Rimi was another version of Rinko so Lisa was more than familiar with how to navigate the pools of those that had a timid personality. She was glad that Rimi seemed sure about their little get together and smiled at her avid response as she did have an ulterior motive.

"Great, I'm looking forward to it" she replied, "I'll come and pick you if you're unsure of how to get to mine".

"Thank you, Lisa-san" Rimi expressed at the girl's consideration, definitely noticing the Saaya like qualities, "I'll text you when we're done with practice?".

The brunette nodded, "Sure, I'll see you soon then, Rimi" whilst making her way out of the store before turning back to add something, "It's a date!" and then left after watching Rimi's mind implode.

" _She's so cute_ " she chuckled to herself.

For the bassist left in the store, a mental time bomb had gone off, "D-date?!".

This called for an emergency as she pulled her phone out with shaky hands, "Saaya-chan..".

Not long after, Rimi found herself in Arisa's basement with Tae, Saaya and Kasumi all staring at her.

"You're sure she said _date_?".

"Arisa, isn't this exciting!".

"Let her breath, Kasumi".

"LisaRimi? Rimi-Risa?".

Arisa rolled her eyes as the possible ship names made Rimi groan into her hands, "Not helping, O-Tae".

"What should I do? What if she was joking and I, I'm thinking too much into it?" Rimi cried out in panic as Saaya rubbed the girl's back.

"Does the fact that you're freaking out about this mean you _do_ like Lisa-san that way?" Arisa enquired.

Kasumi pondered the question too before poking Arisa's arm, "Hey, it's exactly like you when O-Tae used to joke about us but then it was real cause Arisa does like me!".

The incoming glomp was inevitable as Arisa just sighed as the brunette leapt off her chair and curled around the blonde whom was just about managing to remain in her seat, "Keep talking and we're finished".

"Arisaaa!". 

"Hey, we have to help Rimi" Saaya interrupted Kasumi's melodramatic antics much to the blonde's relief before she turned to O-Tae, "And _you_ , stop that".

Tae blinked her large eyes at the brunette, "Saaya was just as nervous when I asked her out, come to think of it. But when we went to my room and we-" she mulled over before being stopped. 

"O-Tae!" Saaya shook her head, trying her best to deviate away from the stare the girl was giving her because it was indeed making her unnecessarily flushed when thinking back to that moment.

Rimi soon realised that at this moment, she was doomed.

Luckily, Arisa had managed to backtrack the conversation at hand after assuaging the brunette in her lap, "Okay, look. We know she said date so, why not just go and meet her like you normally would. Don't think too much about it?".

"I, I could try but then I keep thinking that if it _is_ a date and I act normally, Lisa-san might not know that I actually like her. What if that was her way of giving me a hint to tomorrow being different?".

"Rimi-rin has a point" Saaya answered, "What if you were to call her and ask whether she was joking?". 

"No way, I can't do that!" Rimi panicked, "How am I going to see her tomorrow when I can't even speak to her now?!".

"Just use your eyes like I do, Rimi-rin". 

Saaya was quick to shut that down early by placing a hand on O-Tae's knee, "No, I don't think that will go well".

"But it always works for you, Saaya" Tae pouted.

Which was exactly the problem.

"Rimi-rin, you're overthinking it" Kasumi stated and sat up from having a mini nap in the crook of Arisa's shoulder.

"Oh god, here it comes.." the keyboardist mumbled.

"Does Lisa-san make your heart sparkle and pound?".

"Is that seriously all you can relate to, Kasumi?".

"Yeah, because it works!" the vocalist replied as a matter of fact.

As much as Arisa wanted to refute the statement, she couldn't deny that Kasumi's eclectic mantra had certainly paved the starry way of getting them to where they were now. So she let Rimi deliberate the question and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Lisa definitely made the bassist feel sparkly.

Her carmine eyes suggested that she had flown off to a land filled with Lisa, chocolate cornets and the sounds of a bass scattering around.

"She does" Rimi answered airily.

Saaya chuckled when Rimi finally returned to them, seeming a tad more appeased, "Don't worry about, Rimi-rin. Lisa-san is the loveliest person around so even if she was teasing, I don't think she will make a big deal out of it. Besides, you'll never know if she thinks the same if you back out".

"Exactly" Tae agreed with her girlfriend, "Sometimes it is better to just go with it, not everything needs a plan".

Arisa was a second away from having her brain checked as she had agreed with both Tae _and_ Kasumi about their ideas, on the same day.

Somewhere in the world, a bonsai tree did fly today as she agreed with them both. 

The look from Saaya indicated the same thoughts, "O-Tae's right. So go tomorrow, have fun, get some advice and just relax, okay?".

Rimi exhaled a shaky breath and toyed with her fingers, "I will, thank you all" she said warmly, "I guess I was worried for no real reason. It just took me by surprise. Lisa- san is wonderful and talented and beautiful so for her to be interested in someone like-".

"Don't even think of finishing that sentence, Rimi-rin!" Kasumi shook her head and finally let go of Arisa to hug the bassist, "Anyone would be lucky to be with you!".

"They really would" the drummer reiterated as Tae squeezed onto the couch next to her and wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder, "So don't be quick to think that because it isn't true".

"Rimi-rin is cute, talented   
and creative" Tae added, "Why wouldn't anyone fall for you".

" _Can this day get any weirder.._ " Arisa thought to herself, " _Kasumi and O-Tae making sense, Lisa-san hitting on Rimi. Okay, the last one is reasonable, it was only a matter of time_ " and voiced the sentiments, "Just be yourself, Lisa-san likes that side of you, we all do".

"Aw, Arisa" Saaya grinned, "Under that frosty outside, there is a fluffy romantic hidden away".

"Saaya!".

"Actually, I think under Arisa would be-".

"O-Tae!".

Now she realised why Saaya and O-Tae getting together was possibly the worst since the two had an uncanny ability of teasing her and knowing her thoughts to an unsettling extent.

"Eh, what's under Arisa, O-Tae?" Kasumi asked whilst nuzzling against Rimi's cheek.

The bassist giggled at her bandmates, relieved that despite how on edge she was feeling, they always had a way to calm her down. She took in a quick breath, sinking into Kasumi's embrace and listened to them as she kept in mind their advice. 

If Lisa did have an interest in her, then the best thing to do was just be as she was, no gimmicks or games 

***

The following day, RImi was stood outside of Lisa's house, eyeing up the door like it was going to consume her if she touched it.

She gathered her wits and thoughts, recalling the final pep talk her friends had given her.

" _You've got this, Rimi-rin! Remember, all you have to do is sparkle Lisa-san and then shine, and then Arisa this and Arisa that!_ ".

" _You should take Odd-chan with you, everybody loves Odd-chan. Actually you should take them all, Lisa-san won't be able to resist"_.

RImi groaned internally, " _Maybe Kasumi-chan and O-Tae-chan's advice isn't the best to remember. What did Arisa-chan and Saaya-chan say again?_ ".

" _Hey, Rimi. If you get too nervous, just think of Lisa-san as a chocolate cornet_ ".

" _But then she'd want to eat her_?".

Maybe relying on her friends 'pep talk' wasn't a good idea at all since Arisa and Saaya's sensibility seemed to be dissipating giving their significant others.

" _Oh! What would Kaoru-san say?_ " she thought instead, suddenly feeling hopeful.

That hope was as fleeting as the girl she thought of since her advice was nothing she could use.

In her musings, Rimi hadn't realised that the door had opened to reveal Lisa, watching her with amused curiosity, "Hey, Rimi!".

It was like the music store all over again and Rimi was thankful she could carry her bass on her back but the bag in her hand filled with treats from the Yamabuki bakery took a leap.

"Uh, hi Lisa-san! These are for you". 

The bag landed in Lisa's hands as she laughed softly, "You sure are jumpy, relax, okay? And thank you!" she attempted to sooth the girl who could only nod, "Come on in".

 _"So far so not good_ " RImi sighed to herself whilst following Lisa to her room. 

She hoped that once they were in the girl's room, she'd be able to reduce her nerves by then but it was proving to be quite the task as she remained seated on the brunette's bed with her bass in hand.

Lisa had left to get some drinks so that gave Rimi some time to collect herself as her eyes ran around Lisa's room.

It pretty much reflected the voluble girl's personality to the fullest.

Vibrant, warm and inviting.

The colours were soothing, as was the ebullient aesthetic and Rimi could feel herself calming down whilst strumming a few short chords on her bass. Her fingers moved on their own, playing out the notes for one of their songs which apparently Lisa recognized when she stepped into the room.

"'Initial', right?".

"Y-yes" Rimi managed as the girl put down the tray on the table, "You recognized it just from the bass alone?".

"Is that shocking?" Lisa laughed whilst collecting her own bass from her stand and taking a seat next to Rimi.

"I guess so, it's not easy to identify a song from the bass alone".

"Not if you're a fellow bass player" the brunette winked and double checked that her bass was tuned as Rimi smiled. 

The knowledge of Lisa playing the same instrument certainly helped to alleviate any fears in terms of the conversation freezing over so Rimi kept that in mind.

"The bass isn't something you always hear, but it's something you always feel. That, and I really love the song. It's inspiring". 

Rimi was elated at hearing that since 'Initial' was a song that was the embodiment of how much they'd grown as musicians, "Really?".

"Yup, the style, your solo's, both vocal and instrumental were amazing. The lyrics were relatable too" the girl commended, "So if you feel like you need to remember how far you have come, just listen to your own words and you'll see and hear it".

The statement was simple enough but the gravitas behind Lisa's encouragement was overwhelming for Rimi, but in a positive way.

"That means a lot, Lisa-san. Everyone has had their own troubles to get to where we are but it was all worth it and I, I want to continue to support Poppin'Party".

"You're doing a wonderful job of that" Lisa smiled whilst watching Rimi's fingers flow over the strings with an air of elegance that was defined by her, "I could so do with a few lessons from you".

Rimi’s calmness was interrupted by that comment as she blushed and turned her head away, "Lisa-san, you seem to like teasing me".

The bassist laughed and tapped her bass, "Sorry! You're just so adorable" she grinned, "Besides, it isn't like I'm lying. I think you are talented and very cute so it's not _all_ teasing".

Unsure of how to react to the brazen admission, Rimi steeled herself and willed her nerves to take a step back as she tried to divert the conversation back to _why_ she was there.

But then she wondered, _why_ was she there? 

To test out the different brand of the bass strings?

Or to find out if Lisa was truly interested in her?

Lisa scooted closer till their knees were touching, "Ah, I'm sorry, Rimi, I guess I went a little too far" she apologised, contrite about her actions and motioned to her instrument, "Here, you should try it out and see how you feel".

The brunette was internally kicking herself at the unreadable look on the younger girl's face, not quite sure how to bring her back.

It was true, all her words were being spouted in honesty but perhaps Rimi didn't feel the same. Or maybe she was just uncomfortable with someone being so forward. 

Lisa wasn't sure but she decided to dial it back as Rimi lifted her face to meet her eyes, a glimmer of something in them, something budding. 

Removing her bass, Lisa waited for Rimi to accept the instrument when she realised that she was saying something but it was too quiet to hear.

"What was that?".

Rimi twiddled her fingers together over her bass whilst doing her best to raise her voice, "You..date..yesterday".

It was enough for the bassist to piece together what Rimi was saying, "Ooh! Did I go too far by saying that? Because I _did_ mean it. Though it wasn't the best idea to just leave you like that" she chuckled sheepishly when she figured that Rimi's unusual level of shyness had probably stemmed from that.

"You meant it?" Rimi asked, eyes widened slightly at Lisa's admission.

"I did" Lisa replied gently and placed her hand over Rimi's that was resting on the top of her bass, covering the smaller hand with her on, "I definitely went about it the wrong way though. To be honest, it kind of just slipped out" she added, her eyes drifting away from Rimi.

Rimi couldn't believe what she was seeing, the faint red colour on the brunette's cheek, almost matching her bass.

Imai Lisa was blushing.

The outgoing, extroverted girl that Lisa was, was blushing because she had inadvertently asked Rimi out.

Rimi giggled, "Is that why you ran away?.

"Hey, I didn't run away" Lisa managed between a small laugh, "Okay, I totally did run away but I meant it" she said again and trailed her fingertips over Rimi's hand, leaning closer, "Is..is that okay?". 

The rough digits ghosting over her skin were causing havoc in Rimi's mind as she noticed Lisa was far more closer, her bass still on her lap and being kept steady with her free hand as her olive eyes peered at Rimi, waiting for an answer. 

So she hadn't been wrong in overthinking it per se, she was just apprehensive given _who_ was asking her out.

And still waiting for an answer.

If there was ever a time to take the leap of faith, this was it.

Lisa's actions were encouraging enough which provided the extra momentum for what Rimi was about to do.

She readied herself, taking in Lisa's alluring magnetism and her simmering touch before leaning forward to meet Lisa halfway.

Rimi's eyes closed the moment she pressed her shaky, yet determined lips over Lisa's, lost in the softness of the brunette's mouth moving against hers.

A susurrus gasp was emitted but neither bassist was sure who it exuded from, not that that was their priority as Lisa took over when it came to guiding Rimi's mouth over hers. The hand beneath her fingers was tense for a moment before it relaxed, just like Rimi's lips had done as she matched the pace of the older girl.

It was an answer in itself but Lisa was delighted when a shy verbal response followed once they stopped, "Yes". 

Their faces remained close enough that Lisa felt the motion of Rimi's answer as she smiled and moved back slightly, eyes alive with a radiant shine at Rimi's confirmation, "Rimi..".

They remained that way, just their breaths mingling and lips barely touching as the light actions helped to sooth their raging heartbeats. Lisa couldn't help but to intertwine their fingers together and place another delicate kiss against Rimi's cheek, feeling the heat right away which made her want to coddle the timid girl a tad more.

But a voice interrupted the two from their tender moment.

"Lisa, are you there? What is this about you and Rimi? Why are the rest of Poppin'Party in my room?".

True to Yukina's words, a resounding wave of cheers came through from her bedroom.

"Whoo! Go Rimi-rin! We can see you shining from here!".

"Kasumi! You're gonna fall, get back in here!".

"Saaya, our RImi-rin has grown up".

"You make it sound like we're her parents, O-Tae..".

Rimi made a note to apologise to Yukina for her friends antic but Lisa clearly found it hilarious, "Looks like Yukina was just as curious as they were".

"I'm sorry about that!" Rimi quickly offered but was met with an arm around her and the brunette’s face resting on her shoulder.

"Rimi, you have _nothing_ to be sorry for. I'm glad you came here and the others supported you". 

Lisa's words were coated in softness, careening into Rimi's ear, "Me too, Lisa-san".

Their instruments were restricting the hug but it was enough to make Rimi melt as she brought both arms up to reciprocate the embrace since she could, a content smile on her lips at the feeling of Lisa pressed against her.

Rimi had once again found her way to a world filled with Lisa, chocolate cornets and their pink and red bass strumming somewhere in the distance. 

A little push from quirky friends did go a long way at times. 


End file.
